Putin says Russia is open to direct talks with Ukraine – for the first time since the early stages of the war

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signaled he is open to bilateral talks with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time since the early stages of the war.

Speaking on Russian state television on Monday, Putin said that Russia "has always viewed positively any peace initiative. We hope that representatives of the Kiev regime feel the same way."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that Putin's comments indicated a willingness to engage in direct talks with Ukraine to avoid hitting civilian targets.

Zelensky did not directly respond to Putin's comments, but said Ukraine was "ready for any talks" that would guarantee the safety of civilians.

The media recall that there have been no direct talks between the two sides since the first weeks after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In comments to the Interfax news agency, Peskov said: "When the president said that it was possible to discuss the issue of not hitting civilian targets, including bilaterally, the president had in mind negotiations and discussions with the Ukrainian side."

While addressing a short-lived and limited ceasefire announced by Putin over Easter, the Ukrainian leader proposed an extension that would “cease any attacks using drones and long-range missiles on civilian infrastructure for a period of at least 30 days.”

And Putin said the Kremlin would "analyze" the idea, telling reporters that "as for the proposal not to hit civilian infrastructure facilities... this needs to be resolved."

In a rare admission, he admitted that the military had targeted a civilian building when Russian missiles killed 35 people and wounded more than 100 others in the center of the northeastern city of Sumy earlier this month.Telegraph/